Organization

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

Thinking about existing writers' organizations (and artists') and how they don't really extend help to people crowd-sponsoring their work has made me wonder what an organization for people like us would do. Besides, say, have a website with a roster of projects (yes, I've had a plan for a while).

So, what would entice you to join a CC association? What services would you like?

Here are some ideas, drawn from what existing organizations do:

• Awards
• Magazines/Publications with relevant articles
• Directories of Members
• Websites
• Discussion forums
• Blogs
• Legal Advice/access to legal counsel
• Emergency funds
• Special parties/sponsored events at conventions
• Tables at conventions
• PR databases
• Podcasts
• Mentoring programs

That's off the top of my head. But tell me what you need. And what you could care less about. And what's missing from this list.

Comments

[themaskmaker.livejournal.com]

Your list is pretty comprehensive. And I would join. :)

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

I don't think we can do all those things (at least not immediately), and I'm not sure all of them are necessary... do you think they are?

[themaskmaker.livejournal.com]

Definitely not at first. But people might find needs for them as they/we go along.

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

Agreed. But there need to be a couple things to start. My thoughts were the website, blog, PR database (we seriously need to compile a list of places friendly to crowdfunded projects) and maybe an online publication.

What would be your first choices?

[themaskmaker.livejournal.com]

I agree with the ones you've just listed. :)

Hmm...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

After we've collected ideas, I recommend a poll with check-boxes that would ask:

Which of these would you really love to see the organization do?

Which of these are you most interested in helping with?

Which of these do you think should be high-priority items to do soon?

Which of these do you think should be low-priority items to do later?

That might help us decide where to start.

[jolantru.livejournal.com]

For me, I like the idea of having a mentor guide a newbie writer through - kinda like the Clarion workshops ... something which we - living in Singapore - do not have (unless we fly over and attend them... but you need to know someone or are someone in the sff community).

I like the list. Looks fine to me. Mmm, what do I need? A space, I think, so that I can meet fellow writers. I am a person who likes meeting like-minded folk face-to-face. The Internet might suffice for a while, but physical contact with people really works wonders. How about - say - sponsorships for non-US citizens?

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

Okay, you bring up good points... I'm not sure how to handle international events. Because the world is pretty big! When you say sponsorships, what do you envision that entailing?

[jolantru.livejournal.com]

Mmm, just thinking on top of my head...

Well, I envision sponsorships entailing the mentoring and sponsorship of a non-US citizen in order to attend - say - a convention/conference conducted by the organization. One member would sponsor said person, in terms like air fares (?) or accommodation.

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Ah, those are good thoughts! I definitely want the organization to be useful for non-US folks.

[ladyqkat.livejournal.com]

Something else that would be for after the group is a bit more cohesive and settled and for those who, much as they would love to travel, might be more receptive to than flying - a floating 'convention' that would take several weeks/months where people could gather whe it is at a port, maybe join the cruise for a bit or just visit if it docked for a few days.

Kind of a vague idea right now, but maybe something to look into. It might combine a workshop kind of atmosphere with a convention kind of atmosphere, allow mentors and writers who wish to time to work on projects between ports.

Yes, I am kind of fulfilling my dream of going on a cruise with people I would find fascinating.

Hmm...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

What about a caravan or a couch-surfing "cruise" that would travel cross-country? Not everyone lives near a navigable waterway, but almost everyone lives near a road.

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

Would it be fine if the periodical was published online, and not a physical hardcopy? Either published to a website or sent via email?

What would you want from the mentoring? Business advice? Artistic advice?

[stryck.livejournal.com]

Definitely both. Most people haven't a clue about business things, like how much of their take is taxable and the best way to track money. And artistically, it's nice to have older folks who are willing to either offer advice or do a review of your work.

Reviews! Duh! Crowdfunded projects don't get reviewed often. An organization could both do reviews and request them from others. If it could get a decent review or two out there, that'd be very valuable.

Go for it!

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm with you. I was just going to suggest an award myself. The SFPA would be getting more support from me if it wasn't so CFC-hostile.

Your list looks excellent to me. Of those, I am keenly interested in the following, which I think would be good for starting:

Awards
Directories
Websites

I would love to see a magazine, online or hardcopy or both. When this comes into active planning ... let's talk. I've run a magazine before and enjoyed it.

We already have this blog; I'm not sure that additional blogs would be a good idea. It's only in the last few months that there's been really strong activity here as the membership has snowballed. If we can do things on discussion forums that we can't do here, that's worth considering, but I wouldn't put it at high priority.

Legal Counsel and Emergency Funds would be excellent. That depends on having the money to fund them. Does anyone here have experience with organizational fundraising? If not, we should seek someone who does.

I've seen a lot of organizations crash for lack of funding, especially if they're run by volunteers who burn out. If we could raise enough money through donations or other means, then we could afford to give people some kind of kickback for hours/goods contributed to the organization.

Events and tables at conventions are good. That can be started anytime after the organization is codified; people go to cons all the time, and it's not hard to get panels, lecture rooms, etc. Tables are more of a challenge, requiring a fee and staff and materials; and some cons run out of space. But there are many other venues to consider: libraries, colleges, coffeehouses, bookstores, craft fairs, etc.

Looks like we're going to need a press kit eventually, too.

One thing I would like to add is Targeted Grants. I have been impressed with ones I've seen some organizations offer for senior writers, lesbian writers, regional writers, etc. We could think up what someone would need related to crowdfunding and create support for that; frex, creating a personal website could be supported by some funding and a volunteer designer.

Contests are another possibility, with cash and other prizes. The prizes don't even have to be big; this is something that might be doable early on. *grin* We have the advantage of many people who produce nifty things.

PR Service would be extremely useful. We could start with internal announcements via our website, newsletter, etc. But there are also businesses that send out press releases to the media. We could either find a volunteer to duplicate that, or investigate what it would cost to hire a PR person/firm. Because then, every time we did an award, contest, grant, event, somebody released a book, etc. we could send out a press release and even if nobody published those people would still read them so it would raise awareness. This kind of ties in to a PR Database, but I'd like to reach out beyond just the people we already know are sympathetic, to others who might be if only they knew what we're doing.

Re: Go for it!

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

Podcasts, meh, not my thing but some people love them. I think "Spots the Space Marine" and "Minor" would totally live as podcasts. We might add other types of popular multimedia presentations; video is good for things like art/craft tutorials and PowerPoint is good for any kind of PR presentation.

Mentoring Programs are extremely beneficial. I've written a lot of articles and posts just because people asked me the same questions over and over, and I got tired of repeating myself. Anybody can start a CFC project on their own, but making it work can be a challenge; I think mentoring could boost the success rate. Some other organizations have done this sort of thing. When it works, it's terrific; but it does carry a risk of burnout. I'd want several mentors to spread out the load, we might need to limit the number of novices in the program, and some kind of perks or payment to mentors would help too.

Resource Archives would gather together as links and copies everything we-all could find relating to crowdfunding/cyberfunded creativity/etc. There are thousands of crowdfunding articles in the mundane world, some of which may be relevant. There are a handful of articles on cyberfunded creativity, related to what we do, and I link those here when I spot them. But we need to connect that stuff so people can mine it for information or supporting quotes. And I still want to get some statistics going, which also belong in this category.

Wikipedia Pages would definitely help attract attention to our cause. First, one on crowdfunding/cyberfunded creativity in general. I wrote one a while back but it never got posted. (I'm not a member, and the person who was going to do it for me never got around to it.) So I reworked it into the article series for EMG-Zine. It could be updated for Wikipedia as our crowdfunded creativity page; and then we could make another one later for the organization once it becomes official.

In fact, what about a Wiki of our very own? This should probably wait until later, but I've been rather charmed by the one ellenmillion built for Torn World. It's a great way to let everyone interested work on an information project together.

I'd also like to see some kind of list or database of members' goods, services, and skills. We keep saying, "We need such-and-such, didn't somebody say they did that? But I forget who it was." We need a way for members to list what they do/sell so we can tap our own talent pool when necessary. No obligation, but at least we'd know who to ask.

And, hey! There's an idea for a cashlike perk that would not actually require cash: If we were to set up an Hour Exchange, every hour anyone devotes to organization projects, they could earn an Hour Coupon to spend on some other member's services. So if I spent an hour reading contest entries, I could trade my coupon for an hour of website development; another member could tap me for an hour of editing, then I'd have that HC to spend on something else. And Hour Exchanges are not taxed, I found that out while researching alternative economies. Establishing an Hour Exchange would be very complicated, and require more website space, but I think it would be very beneficial.

We might also consider having a CFC Store for members to sell hardcopy books, art prints, CDs, etc. related to their crowdfunded projects; plus whatever swag we design to show off the organization's name and logo.

Re: Go for it!

[rowyn]

Of the suggestions made thus far (including in the original post), my favorites and the ones that would be most like to get me to sign on are the Hour Coupons and the reviews. I particularly like the Hour Coupons idea, with the ability to capitalize on the strengths of others via barter, rather than, for example, trading reviews or critiques.

Re: Go for it!

[zeeth_kyrah]

As to reading for a podcast, I'll gladly offer my voice.

And while I might not be a professional, I consider myself reasonably decent at database design. In fact, here's one possible design -- one table for members (the primary table, with contact info; provides the key field for the other tables), one for skills and resources they have (with an accessory table of names so we don't duplicate with synonyms or misspellings), one for blogs and other online presence they maintain, one for actual CFC projects and products they produce, and more as needed.

Re: Go for it!

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

Your database description sounds quite useful.

Re: Go for it!

[zeeth_kyrah]

Thank you. Database usage and design was one of the classes I enjoyed most when I was earning my Associate's.